REMITS FROM COUNTIES

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 53, Issue 3830, 6 November 1936, Page 7

REMITS FROM COUNTIES

MINISTERS’ REPLIES ISSUED. ABOLITION OF STAY ORDERS. Ministerial replies to a number of remits passed by the executive of the New Zealand Counties’ Association have been issued by the Association. The questions raised cover a wide range of subjects, and in some instances requests for legislation have been favourably received. In reply to a remit concerning the precautions being taken to preserve a lessee’s equity, in a lease that is being written down for stay order purposes, the Minister of Finance, the Hon. W. Nash, states that under the Mortgagors and Lessees Rehabilitation Act a commission was entitled to reduce the rental payable under any lease to the true basic rental of the property at the present time. A request that the Dog Registration Act should provide for a minimum registration fee of £3 for Alsatians drew the reply that the Alsatian Dog Bill which was then awaiting the consideration of the House, provided for a registration fee of £5 for this breed of dog. In answer to a question whether a local authority should take steps to obtain judgment for any overdue rates during the currency of a stay order in order to preserve its rights, the Under-Secretary of the Justice Department replied: “ There is no statutory prohibition to the taking of steps to obtain judgment for overdue rates. In fact, many local authorities had recourse to this step to prevent their debts becoming statutebarred. The Act precluded proceeding to execution during the period of a stay order. The whole position has been changed by new legislation, the Mortgagors and Lessees Rehabilitation Act. Under this Act the stay order system has been abolished. Security for rates has been unimpaired, as they remain the first charge on land. The new Act, during the period of protection, does not allow Court proceedings to be commenced, but against this it is expressly provided that time does not run for the purpose of statutory limitation for this period. Rates are deemed to be adjustable security, but as customary, the order of priority has not been disturbed. They will rank in priority to all mortgagees, and are likely to be secure in every case.” Other remits deal with transport negotiations, scenery preservation, soldier settlers’ rates, and other subjects.